The present invention concerns a method and a device for adjusting the gap dimensions and/or an offset between a movable flap of a vehicle and the remaining vehicle body. The method comprises initial fitting and retention of the flap in a roughly adjusted installation position flush with the body. Finally, the flap is finely adjusted such that predetermined values of the gap dimensions and/or the offset are matched as closely as possible.
The assembly of vehicles includes i.a. the installation of flaps. Flaps are, in particular, the doors of the vehicle, but also the hood and trunk lids or rear flap. The flaps are inserted into corresponding openings in the body and are movably mounted to the body via hinges or joints at a suitable installation position, such that they can be rotated about an axis of rotation. A suitable installation position is characterized by the flaps being substantially flush with the remaining body or with previously fitted neighboring flaps, and have a uniform separation from the remaining body or the neighboring flaps. One thereby strives for predetermined gap dimensions and a particular offset in the installation position. The flap can be movably fixed to the body in the finely adjusted, installation position.
A flap is conventionally mounted to the hinges or joints on the body in a roughly adjusted installation position. At least one wedge-shaped element, a so-called key collar is inserted into the gap between the flap and the remaining body or the neighboring flaps, to fit the flap into the opening, flush with the body. The flap is then finely adjusted such that predetermined gap dimensions are matched as closely as possible. A worker moves the flap in the opening and examines the gap dimensions and/or the offset. He/she must always see to it that the key collar keeps the flap flush with the body. When the flap is in the finely adjusted installation position, it is finally movably fixed to the hinges or joints on the body. The use of a key collar is, however, very expensive and produces relatively inaccurate results which are difficult to reproduce and document.
German patent application 102 51 393, filed on Nov. 5, 2002 by Dr.-Ing. Charalambos Tassakos, also extensively describes another method or device for adjusting the gap dimensions and/or an offset between a movable flap of a vehicle and the remaining body. This patent application describes a so-called mechanical key collar simulation which is characterized in that the flap is pulled by a pneumatic suctioning means against a mechanical stop in the roughly adjusted installation position to effect fine adjustment, wherein the mechanical stop is fixed relative to the remaining body and is freely pivotable about an axis of rotation which extends in a substantially vertical direction. The mechanical stop thereby represents an extrapolation of the surface of the remaining body, relative to which the gap dimensions and/or the offset of the flap is to be adjusted. The pneumatic suctioning means pulls the flap against the mechanical stop and thereby into the surface of the remaining body such that it is substantially flush with the remaining body. The proposed method uses a mechanical stop and a pneumatic suctioning means instead of a key collar. For this reason, the above-described method is also called mechanical key collar simulation.
The mechanical key collar simulation is particularly well suited for adjusting the gap dimensions and/or the offset between the side doors and the remaining body of a vehicle. It is easier to fit flaps on the sides of a vehicle, since the surfaces of the vehicle body, or of the already fitted flaps map over into the surface of the flap to be fitted in a substantially planar fashion. However, use of the mechanical key collar simulation is difficult when the surfaces of the remaining body or of previously fitted flaps do not map over into the surface of the flap to be fitted in a flat fashion, rather at a certain angle. This is the case e.g. in the region of the motor hood, the trunk lid or the rear flap of a vehicle, where the flaps merge into the fenders. The use of mechanical key collar simulation at these locations either requires great effort or is completely impossible.
Moreover, in the mechanical key collar simulation, the mechanical stop, which is guided to the measuring location using a robot or a similar manipulation device, causes relatively large forces to act on the surfaces of the remaining body or previously fitted flaps and on the surfaces of the flaps to be fitted. These forces are even increased by the pneumatic suctioning means which pulls the flap to be fitted against the mechanical stop. These forces may deform the body or the flaps, which could produce inaccuracies during adjustment of the gap dimensions or the offset.
During the preliminary construction phase of a motor vehicle, the body of the car is in the form of welded together sheet metal with pivotally attached flaps (doors, trunk lid, and hood). In this state, the body of the car is not equipped with locks, door handles or fixtures. Prior to final assembly, it is necessary to check whether or not the gaps between the flaps and the remaining portions of the motor vehicle body are within acceptable tolerances. Towards this end, the flaps must temporarily be held in a defined position relative to the remaining portions of the body for the duration of the measurement. Prior art uses so-called key collars for this purpose. A proposed further development of the key collars is referred to as a mechanical key collar simulation (see DE 102 51 393 A1).
Departing from the above-described prior art, it is the underlying purpose of the present invention to provide a simpler and less expensive key collar simulation which still permits highly accurate fitting of a flap into the remaining vehicle body, irrespective of the angle between the surface of the body or a fitted flap and the surface of the flap to be fitted.